Question

One theme that emerges over the course of the novel is that Henry's romantic notion of war is at odds with reality, and that war is actually ugly and awful.How does this early excerpt from the novel help to develop that theme? By depicting the fact that Henry learns about the war from newspaper articles, rather than by speaking to soldiers returning from battle, the novel suggests that Henry already suspects that his professed belief in war's value is misplaced or wrong. By showing how much Henry's mother dislikes the idea of her son enlisting and the way in which she responds to him once he has, the novel establishes that older, more experienced, more knowledgeable people do not share Henry's idealistic notions about war. By implying that it is Henry's mother who has filled her son's head with unrealistic ideas about war, the novel establishes that idealized notions about war are created and shared by those who have never fought themselves. By describing Henry's views and actions in positive and admiring terms, the novel suggests that no one in this time or place recognizes the ugly truth about war since no one has had any personal experience with armed conflict.

Answer 1

By showing how much Henry's mother dislikes the idea of her son enlisting and the way in which she responds to him once he has, the novel establishes that older, more experienced, more knowledgeable people do not share Henry's idealistic notions about war.